I think that if everyone had to wait tables for about a month… this world would be a much kinder place. People would be a lot nicer and leave way better tips. Here are my list of complaints and the array of crap I’ve had to put up with after waiting tables for 5 years. I’d like to hear other complaints as well.
We only make $2.13 an hour so we LIVE for tips!
A Well Done Steak CANNOT be cooked in 5 minutes.
Quit Letting your kids run around the restaurant…it’s hazardous.
IT IS NOT the servers fault if the food takes a long time… the problem is in the kitchen. We merely take the order… we don’t cook it. The tip should not be sacraficed for the job of the cook!
TIP according to service and the check. I don’t blame you for leaving a lousy tip for lousy service…
Servers cannot do ten things at once… if it’s busy… be patient…
Remember…we have to clean up your childs mess…I think people should leave a better tip if they have more children. We have to do twice the work when serving a family with children.
Oh… I also had a lady that came in the other day… When she walked in she said…“I don’t want to sit near any children.” So I sat her in a booth in the corner and took her order. I later brought her food out and politely asked, “Is there anything else I can get for you.” She reached her arm across the table and said, “Yes. I can’t reach the ketchup…will you get it for me.” Her ketchup bottle was about two inches away from her hand whenever she reached for it.
I worked as a waitress/dishwasher for about a year and a half. I now know an ignorant punk who refuses to tip because “I work just as hard as the servers do, and nobody tips me” He makes almost ten dollars an hour. Needless to say, that really upset me.
I hear you cluckin’ big chicken…
I worked in a coffee house for awhile and loved it. But there were those people who consistantly drove me nuts. One woman in particular used to come in and order the same thing…no problem…but she ALWAYS took change from the well marked tip basket instead of fishing in her own purse for it. Now there was a cup of pennies for people who were a few cents short right there, but this lady would take thirty or forty cents worth out of my tips! I let her get by with it twice before I laughed good-naturedly and told her she should ask me before she borrowed my money. She acted very surprised and never did it again. But she did it to whoever else was working. Always made me wonder what made her think that it was okay in the first place. I, myself, have never been in any business that has a big basket of money sitting out for me to use…maybe I should start hanging out with this lady. She obviously knows something I don’t…
Then my sister became a waitress on the AM shift.
It’s the same work to bring a couple of plates at breakfast as it is at dinner, but only half the tips.
Now I tip double for breakfast servers. They earned it.
It’s still not so much I’m gonna miss it or anything.
I have arthritis and short arms at all times. Recently, I’ve also had abdominal surgery, and post-op infections in that area. If I bend those two inches, it HURTS! If I get up and move, it HURTS! I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask someone who’s already up to hand me condiments.
Why do servers put my salt and sweetener containers WAY on the other side of the table when they put my order down? I put those containers near me when I sat down so that I can reach them!
Other than this, I agree with the thread starter. Especially the bit about the kids. Restaurants (even McD’s) are NOT playgrounds, and kids should not be running around. Not only is it dangerous for the kids, it’s dangerous for the staff and the other patrons.
I’ve never waited tables, but my sister always has. As a result, I ALWAYS tip 20% for service that I can’t say anything bad about, and 15% if the server is rude. The only time I’ve tipped less than that was when “rude” became outright “hostile.” But I ALWAYS leave SOMETHING.
In Europe, they pay waiters a living wage, and the cost is figured into the cost of the food. Makes sense to me.
I’m all with you on the kids stuff… nothing more annoying than sitting in a restaurant with kids running around and their parents doing nothing.
However, I have to take exception with the following:
You bet it’s the server’s fault if the food takes a long time. The server is the interface between the restaurant and the customer. The customer can’t very well get up and walk in the kitchen and yell at the cook. That’s YOUR job. YOU are the one responsible for making sure the customer has a good experience at your restaurant. If a slow kitchen consistently makes your tips bad, it’s time to go get a new job.
Same thing if it’s busy. If a restaurant is busy, and there’s not enough staff, then it’s a lousy restaurant. They need to hire more people. If I wait a long time for my food, or my waiter/waitress is not attentive, I don’t care that it’s the kitchen’s fault, or she has 15 tables, or whatever. I tip very well when I get good service (last night I left $12 on a $55 check), and I tip badly when it’s bad service, regardless of the reason. Sorry, guys, but that’s just the way things work. When it comes right down to it, if you provide good service most (I realize not all) people will leave decent tips. If you provide lousy service, even if it’s not technically your fault, you’re going to get bad tips.
Well, I can’t speak for the other servers or former servers here, but when I waited on tables, I headed that possibility off at the pass by communicating with my table at the appropriate times.
If the kitchen was slammed or a trainee was back there or (insert legitimate bad thing which could cause the kitchen to get behind), I would tell them almost immediately of this, right after I got them their drinks.
Ii would then keep the table informed as to the progress of the meal, especially if we reached the time that the meal should have been on the table.
Now, for erros such as the kitched screwed something up on your order alone, I would usually find out about this from the kitchen (because I was back there screaming at them for my food) and communicated this to my tables as soon as I knew about it.
As such, I don’t feel you could blame the server if he showed that he was as pissed as you (thercustomer) was, if not more so, because your food was taking so long.
Oh, and please know that I was never above blaming the kitchen for a mistake I might have made. I found that this didn’t work - I guess I’m a bad liar. In fact, when I did start owning up to my mistakes (“I’m sorry, but I just put your order in now because I got side-tracked! I told the kitchen to make the order a priority,” and if it was totally ridiculous, I would comp them dessert or something.
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Well, yes, but I don’t think anyone said anything about a consistantly slow kitchen. But mistakes do happen.
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You know what? You are totally wrong here. If this happens consistantly, then you would certainly have a point. But how does a manager schedule help for a bus that comes in at 3:30 PM, right when nobody is there, and this screws up everything until the beginning of dinner? Or how about the day when the flu hit your staff so hard that half of your employees called out sick? How about the day where the weather caused several employees to call out because they couldn’t get into work? You want I should give the numerous other things which can lead to rthis, maybe?
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Well, I do believe that I just gave some very good reasons why the server is not always at fault. If you want to be a bitch, more power to you. Oh, and a shade over 20% is NOT something I would brag over, honey. It’s a fair and fine tip, one that I would gladly give and have received, but I certainly wouldn’t tout it as an example of your generosity. If you are, this shows exactly the opposite.
I wonder what your definition of “good service,” since your definition of an “exemplary tip” was seemed to be lacking. And if a waiter was personable, attentive and did everything well except maybe made me wait an extra minute or two for change or forgot the extra dressing I asked for, and apologized profusely and honestly and rectified the situation (if she/he could) that was enough for me. I am not a slave master, who deducts from a gratuity for each error.
Are you?
Yer pal,
Satan
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First off, if you read my post, the 21.8% tip I left was for good service. I never said “exemplary”, as you put it, Satan. Exemplary service would rate a larger tip. As it was, the service I got was pretty good. The waitress remembered us from the previous times we were there, and right away asked us if we wanted our standard drinks. Beyond that, there was nothing special about our service, and nothing bad, either.
And the last time I looked, the tip rates in my neck of the country were around 15% for standard service, 20% for better than standard. I’ve also heard plenty of waiters/waitresses around here say that they rarely get that much.
And Satan, your description of what you did for a slow kitchen is exactly on target. This is what a good waiter/waitress (dammit, I’m sick of typing that! It’s “waitron” from now on!) does. My point was that a good waitron takes responsibility for the whole dining experience, which you did. You informed the table the kitchen was running slow, and you proved to them that you were willing to do what you could to make up for it. That’s all I expect. What I do NOT expect is some idiot with an attitude not even acknowledging that my food took an hour to get to me, and when I point out that I sat without drinks for most of that time because the waitron was nowhere to be found getting some sort of excuse like “Well, it’s the kitchen’s fault and we’re having a busy night.” Bullshit. If that’s true, I expect to be treated, well, like Satan said he treated his customers.
As far as getting busy because of an unforseen large party coming in, same as above. I expect to be notified of the situation when I sit down (or as soon as possible) and given the chance to say “Hmmm… I’m in a hurry, so I guess I’ll go elsewhere.” A good, attentive waiter can manage the occasional slow kitchen or busy period. And like I said below, if it happens a lot, that’s the management’s fault, and if you’re a halfway decent waitron I expect you could find a better job somewhere else.
I believe I defined “good” as opposed to “exemplary” above. Do you disagree with me that over 20% for “good” - not “exemplary” - service is a lousy tip? If so, the debate’s over.
If a waiter was “personable, attentive and did everything well except maybe made me wait an extra minute or two for change or forgot the extra dressing I asked for, and apologized profusely and honestly and rectified the situation” then I consider that good, if not great, service. What I’m talking about is the waitron that took a lot of time with the change, left me sitting a long time before bringing the bill, and forgot my dressing and never brought it or mentioned it again, and still expected a good tip. Satan, you seem like you understand the waiter thing, and I doubt you got yourself into such situation. But be aware that this happens more often than not, at least where I live.
Oh man; “waitron” instead of waiter/waitress? I know this is totally off the subject (and BTW, I’m a 20% tipper normally, more if the service was exceptional and 2 cents if service was absent or hostile), but who the hell is responsible for this “waitron” term? I first heard it about a year ago and my first thought was “Why not servebot?” Or how about “KCI unit” for “Kitchen-Customer Interface?” Or “food delivery liaison?”
Is there any person who actually does the job who prefers this term? Waiting on sometimes impatient or downright abusive clients can be dehumanizing enough without having a mechanoid term applied to what you do.
You always leave something? Why? If you do this, then where is the incentive for servers to provide good service?
When I was a server, I always paid attention to detail – making sure my uniform looked presentable, making sure customers’ drinks were always filled, making sure customers’ requests were honored promptly – the whole nine yards. And why did I do this? To be tipped well. That’s all. Not because I’m a nice guy, or not because I want to be liked, but to be tipped well. Plain and simple.
But if I knew that I would always be tipped, no matter what I did, then why should I be nice? Why should I refill your drink when you ask? Why should I bring you extra napkins? You’re going to tip me anyway. Right?
Tipping automatically is not a good practice. If your server sucks, then tough shit for him/her, because they’re not going to get a tip. This will only encourage them to do their job better.
There is a distinction to be made between the server who is awful and makes no attempt to apologize and the server who is genuinely swamped, or is new, but is trying. Granted, the latter need to ask for help, but that isn’t always a possibility. The servers around you have their own tables, and may be in the weeds just like you are.
I have been a server (not a servant!) for over a year, and consider myself to be a good “waitron” :), but at the beginning, i was bad. Sure, I needed encouragement to do my job better, but leaving a penny only makes me want to hunt you down and hurt you severely!
I was with you right up until you said “regardless of the reason.” That’s just mean. If nothing about your bad service can be directly attributed to me, then what does leaving me a crappy tip accomplish?
What constitutes “special”? I would think having your server remember you and your drinks is special (do you have any idea how many drink orders a server takes?) and therefore deserves a substantial tip. This will endear you to her and perhaps get you free stuff!
Probably because most patrons think we get minimum wage and don’t know about the practice of tipshare…at my restaurant, a percentage of every tip goes to the food expediter, the bar (even if no alcohol was served!!) and the busboys (who get paid minimum wage). I have even heard of servers who have to tipout to hosts! So realize, that while 15 or even 20% sounds generous, your server doesn’t see a whole lot of that cash. Every other “profession” has been given a cost of living increase, but servers have been making $2.13/hr forever! Can’t we all afford to toss an extra dollar or two down?
smartypants - if a server is not being attentive to their customers, then that server should let the customers know why. Whether it be an understaffing problem, a large party, a sprained ankle… whatever. The point is to keep the customer informed. Don’t leave them in the dark. Leaving them in the dark will only cause the customer to think that it is the server who is the problem.
vandal-
I agree. That was the point I was trying to make when I said there is a difference between a server who is rude and obviously doesn’t care, and one who really is making an effort to provide good service.
For future reference, what is special or exemplary service?
I can think of a few times I was genuinely impressed, but I have never been dissatisfied. I also think that your eating experience will reflect your attitude. I used to work as a waitress, so when I go out to eat I usually have the attitude of “I know how hard it is. I know some people work very hard, and they are still treated poorly. I know some people don’t do much of anything. But I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt, because when I began and I made mistakes people did the same for me.”
Usually with that attitude, as a customer I am more patient and nice, and the server sees that I am not going to jump down their throats over every lil thing, and they are more relaxed and try harder. Then, we are all happy. They get their 15-20% tip, I get my enjoyable eating experience, and we both walk away happier.
The cook at my restaurant has been there for 20 years and he IS the boss. I cannot even count the number of times I’ve been yelled at by him. If one of my customers is not satisfied with the way their burger is cooked, the cook starts screaming. I have both a disgruntled customer and cook… who blame me… the server. So I get the yelling from both ends even though I sent the order back exactly as I was told by the customer. I don’t know whose fault it would be but I’ve just learned to smile and go on…that’s about all you can do in those situations.
